Online Learning Update

by Julia Flucht, OPB

Online marketplaces like eBay, CraigsList and Etsy offer you a way to sell your stuff. But what about a place to sell your skills and expertise? Now sites like Udemy, Skillshare, and Lynda.com are in a race to become the School of Everything. But as more courses appear, the competition among teachers is intensifying. “I could never do that with books” Portlander Vanessa Van Edwards is an expert on body language. She’s written books, columns and lectured on the subject. She’d often thought body language was an ideal subject to be taught online. But it’s only when she found Udemy that it made sense. She says, “This was the first time I was able to actually offer it because they took payment, they hosted it all, they got me students, they helped me with marketing…”

http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-learning-marketplace-sites-compete-to-become-school-of-everything/